Nets like Williams' versatility on court

Saturday

Jun 27, 2009 at 2:00 AMJul 21, 2009 at 1:20 PM

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A day after the Nets traded eight-time All-Star Vince Carter, the team's top draft pick was asked whether he felt pressured about being thrown into the rugged waters of the NBA.

The Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A day after the Nets traded eight-time All-Star Vince Carter, the team's top draft pick was asked whether he felt pressured about being thrown into the rugged waters of the NBA.

"I like to swim," former Louisville standout Terrence Williams said during a news conference Friday. "I want to make a splash right away."

With Carter on his way to his hometown team in Orlando, Williams — the 11th overall pick in Thursday night's draft — will likely play a huge role right away with the rebuilding Nets.

"I wouldn't have chosen anywhere else to play," the 6-foot-6 forward told reporters at the team's practice facility in East Rutherford. "A lot of people thought I'd go someplace else, but I knew I wanted to be here. The people here are all straight shooters and I'm a straight shooter — it's a great situation for me to be in."

Nets president Rod Thorn conceded the team, still on target to eventually move to Brooklyn in the coming years, is now in a state of transition.

"Any time you trade a great player like Vince Carter, you can call it what you want, retooling, rebuilding, retouching," Thorn said. "We're retooling our team and heading in a different direction."

Carter, along with second-year forward Ryan Anderson, was traded to the Magic for veteran guard Rafer Alston, second-year forward Courtney Lee and veteran center Tony Battie just hours before the draft. That cleared some salary-cap space for the Nets, removing Carter's $16 million contract from the picture.

Williams, who averaged 12.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, five assists and nearly three steals per game last season, is projected to be a swing player in the NBA.

"He can fit in anywhere on the court and you like to have guys like that who are flexible," Thorn said. "He can do different things and he definitely can play. We feel he's a guy who can be one of the best athletes, if not the best, among this rookie class and we feel fortunate to have him. We just hoped he was there when we picked at No. 11."

Both Thorn and general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said they had Williams at the top of their draft board. The team did not have a second-round pick.

"Early in the process, we identified Terrence as one of the best players in the draft and we rated him right at the top of the draft," Vandeweghe said. "We think players who make other players better are extremely valuable and anyone who comes from Rick Pitino's program is fundamentally sound."

Nets coach Lawrence Frank was eager to see how Williams fits with the revamped roster. "It's natural to be excited when you bring on a player like Terrence. He's very versatile and well coached and has the ability to make plays on the dribble," Frank said. "We know he's not Vince, who is a Hall of Fame player, but from a team standpoint, we need to have a collective identity and not be identified with one ego."